


Persona 3: Burn My Dread

by tiny260



Series: Persona 3 Duology [1]
Category: Persona 3
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Character Development, Character Study, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Retelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-06
Updated: 2017-08-06
Packaged: 2018-12-11 22:57:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11724336
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tiny260/pseuds/tiny260
Summary: For 10 Years, Makoto Yuki has been an empty shell. Traumatized by the horrific events that killed his parents back in 1999, he shut his whole personality down, the only thing making him different from the Lost is his ability to be somewhat self-sufficient. When he arrives at Tatsumi Port Island, however, a series of events lead to the development of various Social Links around the island - and unbeknownst to Makoto, these Social Links will spark to life the personality he had tried to shut away.The Male half to my Persona 3 duology





	Persona 3: Burn My Dread

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve had this idea rolling around in my head for what must’ve been a year and a half, maybe two years now. This is one part of a duology, the other part should be posted right at the same time. This story will be following the male protagonist’s route, although I’m not exactly going to be strict to an exact Social Link walkthrough route. I’ll be taking creative liberties, so this shouldn’t exactly be used a walkthrough. Hope you enjoy, I’ve put a lot of thought into this one.
> 
> Oh, and for the record: Lots of nasty stuff goes down, what with this being a P3 fanfic and all. If you’re not comfortable with stuff from the game including self-harm, suicide, death, and all that fun stuff, you’re not going to be comfortable with this fic. Just a heads up.

Noise. Bustling noise of people all around. Loud, random, chaotic.

_I will burn my dread…_

The blue haired boy walked along, headphones against his ears and bag slung across his shoulder.

_Burn my dread…_

If one were to look at the boy, they’d think he was just a walking corpse. His eyes were unfocused, his stature slumped, seemingly moving forward by an outside force pushing him.

_Hey-o, drop like this._

The boy stared at his own reflection as the train passed through the city. It wasn’t as crowded – less people at night – the random noise dying down. The music still flared loud in his ears as he didn’t bother to turn down the music. He didn’t bother to do much.

_There’s no man’s land, no man ever survive  
Invisible hands are behind you just now_

That flash of blue in the window. Was it his hair? Or… was it a butterfly? No… no, it couldn’t have been a butterfly. How could one have kept up with the train like that? And there didn’t exist any that shone that brilliantly.

_The mask is in heavy rain, ultimately slain  
Make shadows slave, what we’ve done is in vain_

The train eventually came to a stop. The boy stepped out into the station, looking at the paper in his hand. The paper that was shoved to him before he was shoved out the door. Shoving tended to be the most efficient way to get him to go places. His dull gaze looked up to the clock. 11:59, and the seconds were ticking closer to midnight.

_Then what’cha gotta do is drop the hammer down,  
Drop rhyme, drop hammer, digging like a…_

Midnight. Lights out. Everything electronic shut off. The boy sighed at this. On one hand, the Dark Hour gave him freedom from the loud people surrounding him. On the other, it also deprived him from his Walkman. Oh well.

The city was large, and the paper in his hand was difficult to read without any artificial light to aid him. All he had to help was the light of the moon above, which wasn’t even full. It grew large during the Dark Hour, but it still didn’t cast as much light as he would have liked. He walked around the coffins standing in the middle of the city square, passing by what must have been the same location five or six times before finally, finally making the right turn to the dormitories the paper was trying to guide him towards. He stopped in a puddle of blood, looking up at the large building that would be serving as his new home from now on.

Stepping through the doors, the boy noted first that the lobby felt warm. It was April after all, so the outside still had the biting air of spring about it before it transitioned to a warmer climate. Inside buildings were more comfortable, even during the Dark Hour. The boy took off his headphones. Eventually the Hour would end and he’d have to meet someone, and he was told many times before that it’s polite to take your headphones off when talking to someone.

“You’re late.”

The boy with the Walkman turned his head to see a very young boy, standing behind the welcome counter in striped pajamas with eyes as blue as his own hair. His elbows rested on top of the counter and his head rested on his fists, as if he had been standing there for some time.

“I’ve been waiting a long time for you,” the pajama-wearing boy said politely, confirming what one observing him would have concluded. The boy with the Walkman merely blinked in response. The pajama-wearing boy snapped his fingers.

“Now if you want to proceed…” He stood now before the boy with the Walkman without walking, motioning to a fancy looking contract book with a quill next to it that most definitely was not sitting there a minute ago. “…please sign your name there.”

The boy with the Walkman watched as the book opened itself to the page where he had to sign by its own powers. “It’s a contract,” the pajama-wearing boy continued. “Don’t worry – all it says is that you’ll accept full responsibility for your actions. You know… the usual stuff.”

The boy with the Walkman didn’t hesitate. He never did when someone told him to do something. Taking the quill in his hand, he wrote his name on the line without reading what anything on the page said: “Makoto Yuki” No sooner had Makoto signed his name that the contract was no longer sitting on the counter. He turned to see the pajama-wearing boy holding the book.

“No one can escape time,” he said as the contract vanished into thin air. “It delivers us all to the same end.”

Dark shadows began to cast over what was once a brightly lit room. Makoto had barely even realized how odd it was for the lighting to be so bright during the Dark Hour. He also didn’t really care.

“You can’t plug your ears and cover your eyes,” the pajama-wearing boy continued, backing up into the shadows. As he walked into the darker corner of the room, his body literally began vanishing until only his outstretched hand remained. “And so it begins.”

And with that, the boy was gone just as suddenly as he arrived. Makoto found himself standing around in the lobby alone now.

“Who’s there?!”

Well, not for long. Makoto turned his gaze to the arrival of a girl with a pink jumper and brunette hair, staring him back down. Her breathing was heavy, sweat on her brow, as her hand hovered over a holster at her hip. Makoto briefly noted how odd it was for a high school girl to have a gun on her before she undid the holster, beginning to pull the weapon out.

“Takeba, wait!”

Makoto’s gaze shifted, and the brunette turned around to face a redhead girl, a woman who looked to be at least a year older than both of them. She stood with an air of elegance and almost regality, holding the brunette’s gaze with a look that said “hold on.” A moment later, the artificial lights returned to the lobby. The sound of Lotus Juice continuing their verse where they left off told Makoto that the Dark Hour had ended. The brunette smiled, breathing a sigh of relief at this. The regal woman stepped forward, walking up to properly face Makoto.

“I didn’t think you’d arrive so late,” she noted. “My name is Mitsuru Kirijo. I’m one of the students who live in this dorm.”

The brunette looked between the two in confusion, settling her gaze on Mitsuru for the time being. “…who’s he?”

“He’s a transfer student,” Mitsuru answered calmly. “It was a last minute decision to assign him here. He’ll eventually be moved to a room in the boys’ dorm.”

“…is it okay for him to be here?” the brunette asked, concern obvious in her voice.

“I guess we’ll see…” Mitsuru replied, an amused smirk passing her lips. She turned her gaze back to Makoto, motioning to the brunette next to her. “This is Yukari Takeba. She’ll be a junior this spring, just like you.”

“…hey,” Yukari said, tone polite yet tinged with caution. Makoto blinked twice, then looked back to Mitsuru. She seemed to be the one in charge.

“Is this the girls’ dorm?” he asked, remembering how she specified ‘move him to the boys’ dorm’. He didn’t particularly care, but he knew it was best to cause as little of a scene as possible, and being in a girls’ dormitory seemed like it would cause a scene.

“No, it’s not, but…” Yukari started, but she seemed confused as to how to properly end that sentence. “Umm, how should I explain it…?”

“Unlike the other buildings, this one’s co-ed,” Mitsuru answered, picking up Yukari’s slack. “It’s not your typical dorm, though. I’ll explain it to you later when I get a chance. It’s getting late, so you should get some rest.” She motioned to the stairs she came from. “Your room is on the second floor, at the end of the hallway. Your things should already be there.”

“Oh… I’ll show you the way,” Yukari said in a tone that clearly showed she was trying to be friendly, perhaps in a bid to excuse her previous fumble. “Follow me.”

Makoto remained silent, walking behind Yukari as she led him up the stairs. Mitsuru remained behind, watching them both as they left her presence. Within the minute, Yukari stopped at a door at the end of the hall, nodding towards the closed room.

“This is it…” she said. “Pretty easy to remember, huh? …Since it’s right at the end of the hall.”

She said this with a friendly smile, but this quickly faded when she saw Makoto’s blank face staring back at her, not reacting at all to her.

“Oh yeah,” she said, not bothering to try the friendly face anymore seeing how little Makoto seemed to care, “make sure you don’t lose your key, or you’ll never hear the end of it… So, any questions?”

Makoto paused to think for a moment. “Does that kid live here too?” he asked, a small part of him wondering where a child who could vanish into shadows would sleep. Would someone like that even need a room? Yukari just seemed confused at this question.

“What kid?” she asked. “What are you talking about? …C’mon, it’s not funny.”

Makoto said nothing. This was why he didn’t ask questions – nobody seemed to like it when he did. He just guessed he always asked the wrong ones.

“Um… can I ask you something?” Yukari spoke up after an awkward moment of silence. “On your way here from the station, was everything okay?”

Makoto thought about it. Well, the Dark Hour passed, so there wasn’t anyone on the streets. He got lost a few times, but that was normal when going to a new place.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“I see…” Yukari didn’t sound convinced, but she seemed to decide it wasn’t worth pushing the matter. “…never mind, then. Well, I’d better get going…”

Yukari began to make her way down the hall, but paused and turned back to Makoto. “Um… I’m sure you still have other questions, but let’s save them for later, okay?”

Makoto didn’t, actually, but he felt like Yukari didn’t want to hear that.

“Good night,” she said with a last attempt at a friendly smile. When Makoto didn’t respond in kind, she simply sighed and walked away without another word. Makoto unlocked the door to his dorm and slipped inside, making his way straight to bed.

* * *

  **Tuesday, April 7 th**

**Early Morning**

* * *

Makoto was spitting out the last of his toothpaste when he heard a knock at his door.

“It’s Yukari,” a voice came from the other side. “Are you awake?”

Makoto wiped his mouth with a towel and went to open the door. Yukari slipped in, her hands behind her back and a smile on her face. Now fully rested, she seemed to be even friendlier now than the previous night.

“Good morning,” she said cheerfully. “Did you sleep okay?”

Makoto just stared at her. The smile faded from her face as the awkward moment stretched on.

“Mitsuru-senpai asked me to take you to school,” she explained. “It’s getting late, so… Are you ready to go?”

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Makoto said dully. Being led to school made it easier for him.

“Okay,” Yukari said cheerfully, seemingly bolstered from getting an actual answer rather than dead silence this time. “Then, let’s go.”

Yukari led Makoto out of the dorms and to the train station. It wasn’t as packed as Makoto expected – sure, there were plenty of people, but they were all wearing the same uniform as him. It looked like this line was just for the students. Makoto turned his gaze to the window to stare at the blue ocean they passed over. Yukari seemed to misinterpret what Makoto was staring at. Or rather, what he was looking for.

“Anxious to find the school, huh?” she asked. She pointed in a direction. “So, that’s it. See, there it is.”

Makoto turned his head to where Yukari was directing. The train line seemed to lead the way over to an island, and on the island was an impressive looking school. It wasn’t long before the train stopped and the two of them began to make their way towards the school. Various people greeted Yukari, who answered in kind. It seemed, Makoto noted, she must have been popular. Yukari came to a stop once they reached the school gates, turning to Makoto and smiling.

“Well, this is it,” she said in a tone of practiced showmanship. “We’re here, welcome to Gekkoukan High School.” She flashed a smile at him. “Hope you like it!”

Makoto didn’t answer. Once again, Yukari’s smile wilted away as she just led him inside the building. They both came to a stop at the lobby of the school, right by the shoe lockers.

“You’re okay from here, right?” she asked Makoto. “You should go see your homeroom teacher first. The Faculty Office is right there to the left… And that concludes the tour. Do you have any questions before I go?”

Brief tour, Makoto thought, but it was at least short. “No,” he answered dully. “Not really.”

Yukari looked away from Makoto, playing with her hands. “Hey…” she started, looking as if she were nervous to say something. “About last night… Don’t tell anyone what you saw, okay?”

And just like that, she donned another smile. “…See ya later,” she said cheerfully before walking off. Makoto was surprised at this. That woman seemed to be able to don that friendly face like a mask so quickly. He followed her with his eyes as she walked away before turning his gaze to the hallway Yukari had pointed out to him. He made his way down the hallway quietly, entering the office without much noise. In fact, he was so quiet in this that it took a nearby teacher a few moments to even realize he had entered. The teacher gathered up the paperwork she had been working with and made her way over to him.

“Oh, are you the new student?” she asked. Makoto nodded dully as the teacher looked to the papers at the top of her stack.

“Makoto Yuki…” she muttered. “11th grade, correct? Wow, you’ve lived in a lot of different places… Let’s see… in 1999… That was what, ten years ago? Your parents…”

She came to a stop, gasping at what she just read. Makoto didn’t react – he was used to this. She learned what happened to his parents, now she was going to get flustered, not sure how to react, maybe try to console him… He had been through this so many times before already.

“I’m sorry…” the teacher said, clearly embarrassed. “I’ve been so busy, I didn’t have time to read this beforehand.”

She cleared her throat, quickly recomposing herself. “I’m Ms. Toriumi. I teach Composition. Welcome to our school.”

“Oh…” Makoto blinked. She didn’t dwell on his parents’ deaths for very long. Surprising. “Thanks.”

“Have you seen the classroom assignments?” Ms. Toriumi asked, getting right to business. “You’re in 2-F; that’s my class. But first, we need to go to the auditorium. The Welcoming Ceremony will be starting soon. Follow me.”

It didn’t take long for Makoto to be led into a seat in the auditorium, where various students from the three grades were gathered in seating according to their classes. Soon enough, a large man with very grey hair stepped up to the podium in the center of the stage, clearing his throat in the microphone to get the students’ attention.

“As you begin the new school year,” the man who must have been the Principal said, “I’d like each of you to remember the proverb, ‘If a job’s worth doing, it’s worth doing well.’ When applied to student life, this means…”

“Psst…” a voice came from behind Makoto as the Principal continued his speech. “Hey…”

Makoto turned his head to the male student sitting directly behind him, his hand on the back of Makoto’s chair.

“You came to school with Yukari this morning, right?” he asked. “I saw you two walking together.”

Makoto merely nodded.

“Hey, I have a question,” the student continued, growing excited. “Do you know if she has a boyfriend?”

Makoto blinked at this. The student seemed awfully excited to hear this information that Makoto considered utterly useless. “I don’t know,” he answered dully.

A couple of heads turned to Makoto at this answer.

“I see,” the classmate behind him said, sounding almost defeated. “I thought you might know, but… I guess not.” After a moment’s silence where Makoto thought he’d be left alone, the classmate continued. “…So, how well do you know her?”

“I hear talking,” a teacher said from the sidelines, saving Makoto the trouble of answering. “I believe it’s someone in Ms. Toriumi’s class…”

The classmate jumped, quickly sitting back in his seat and acting like nothing happened. Ms. Toriumi, however, seemed to zero in on the kid in particular.

“Shhh!” she said in his general direction. “Be quiet! You’re going to get me in trouble!”

However, it seemed to be all for naught as Makoto heard lots of people talking. He sighed and turned his attention to the principle, appreciating the time he had where no one was talking to him at least.

* * *

**After School**

* * *

 Makoto had gathered his supplies and was making his way to the door when he was ambushed by a fellow student in a baseball cap and an unshaven chin.

“’Sup, dude?!” he greeted, clapping a hand on Makoto’s shoulder. “How’s it goin’?”

“What do you want?” Makoto asked dully. Maybe if he did what this guy wanted quickly enough he could go home sooner.

“Oh, come on,” the student said, overly-dramatically hanging his head as if struck by Makoto’s words. “Let me introduce myself, at least.”

He quickly shot back up, removing his hand from Makoto’s shoulder and offering it in a shake. “I’m Junpei Iori. Nice to meet ya.”

Makoto stared at the hand, then Junpei’s face. When it became clear he wasn’t going to shake, Junpei laughed it off and rubbed the back of his head with the offered hand.

“I transferred here when I was in 8th grade,” he explained. “I know how tough it is bein’ the new kid… So I wanted to say, ‘hey.’ See what a nice guy I am!”

The sound of approaching footsteps drew Makoto’s gaze away from Junpei. Yukari was standing before the two, and she didn’t look particularly happy.

“Hey, it’s Yuka-tan!” Junpei said casually, grinning at the girl. “I didn’t think we’d be in the same class again.”

Yukari sighed, rubbing her forehead in irritation. “At it again, huh? I swear, you’ll talk to anyone if they’ll listen. Did you ever think you might be bothering someone?”

“What?” Junpei asked, taken aback. “But, I was just bein’ friendly.”

“If you say so,” Yukari replied in a tone that clearly stated she wasn’t buying it for a second, turning to Makoto. “Anyway, looks like we’re in the same homeroom…”

“Yeah, I know,” Makoto answered, not even looking at her while answering, instead turning his attention to the window of the classroom. What a stupid observation, of course they’re in the same homeroom. Could they stop talking to him already so he could go back to his room?

“Funny, huh?” Yukari asked, stepping to stay in Makoto’s sight. She was doing that smile thing again. She must have been trying really hard to be nice and friendly to Makoto, he noted. He wondered why.

“Um, hello?” Junpei said, trying to direct the attention back to himself. “Are you forgetting that I’m in this class too?”

He slapped Makoto on the back with a goofy grin on his face. “By the way, I heard you two came to school together this morning. What’s up with that? C’mon, gimme the dirt!”

Makoto briefly wondered if the whole school based their social lives around Yukari if this is the general reaction to her walking to school with someone. Maybe if he just walked to school alone he could get less people to talk to him.

“Wh-what are you talking about?!” Yukari asked, taken aback by the tone Junpei took. “We live in the same dorm. There’s nothing going on, okay? Why are people even talking about it?! Now you have me worried.”

Well, at least this was a sign that this activity wasn’t supposed to be normal.

“Hey…” Yukari touched Makoto’s arm to get his attention. “You didn’t say anything to anyone about… you know what, did you?”

Makoto just shook his head. Yukari breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay, good. Seriously… Don’t say anything about last night, alright?”

Makoto turned his gaze to see the shocked expression on Junpei’s face. Part of him thought that Yukari wasn’t very good at keeping secrets if this is how she acted in front of other people. Yukari turned to look at Junpei as well when she noticed how Makoto was staring at him.

“Wh-what?” she asked, taken aback by the look on the young man’s face.

“L-Last night…?” Junpei asked, staring at Yukari as if she were a new woman. It seemed like Yukari’s brain finally caught up and she didn’t like where it was going.

“W-wait a minute!” she said quickly. “Don’t get the wrong idea!”

Junpei only smirked.

“Listen!” Yukari said forcefully. “I just met him yesterday, and there’s absolutely nothing between us! Geez…”

Makoto couldn’t help but wonder why anyone would even care as much as Junpei seemed to based on his reaction. Was it because Yukari was a girl? Would this have happened if he walked next to any random female student past the gates?

“I’ve got to go,” Yukari said, backing off. “I’ve got something to take care of for the archery team.”

Her gaze turned dangerous and directed at Junpei. “But, you better not start any rumors!”

With that, she stormed out of the classroom. Junpei sighed, waving her off once she was out of sight.

“Ah, who cares?” he asked. “No one takes rumors seriously, anyway. She’s so paranoid…”

Not paranoid enough, Makoto thought, if she was talking to him directly in a crowded classroom about things he shouldn’t talk about.

“But hey!” Once again Junpei slapped his shoulder. “It’s your first day here, and people are already talkin’ about you! Believe it or not, she’s actually pretty popular. You da man!”

Makoto blinked at this. He sidestepped away from Junpei, who removed his hand from Makoto’s shoulder to rub both his hands together. A devilish grin appeared on his face.

“Heheh, this is gonna be a fun year,” he said in anticipation. “I can feel it!”

Makoto felt the conversation was over, so he finished gathering his supplies and made his way out of the school. Unfortunately, it seemed like Junpei assumed this was an open invitation to follow, so he kept step with Makoto. The blue-haired boy wished he would just leave so he could go back to listening to music. He would have just put his headphones on now, but he was told time and time again it was rude to do that when around people, and Junpei was around, so…

“So seriously man, where ya from?” Junpei asked. “Why’d ya move over here? How’d you get accepted? Got any hobbies, man?”

Makoto got the distinct feeling Junpei must not have had many friends if this was how he decided to spend his time with a complete stranger.

* * *

**Evening**

* * *

Mitsuru was sitting on the couch in the lobby of their dorm, reading a book when a confident looking student in a red vest, looking to be about the same age as Mitsuru, approached her.

“I’m going out for a bit,” he told her.

“…Hm?” Mitsuru looked up from her book, not having noticed the student until he spoke to her.

“Didn’t you see the newspaper?” the confident-looking student asked. “There’s a lot going on.”

“…I know,” Mitsuru answered, turning her gaze back to her book. “People who had no problems before are suddenly developing acute cases of Apathy Syndrome… I’ve seen it in the news quite often lately. They say it’s due to stress, but…”

“Yeah, right,” the confident looking student scoffed. “It has to be THEM. Otherwise, it’s not worth my time…”

“You have a one track mind…” Mitsuru noted, quickly turning her gaze to the student’s face. She didn’t like the smirk he had. “Will you be okay on your own? The Chairman will be here for the next few days, but after that, I can…”

“Don’t worry,” the confident looking student shrugged off, still smirking. “I’m just getting a little practice.”

With that, he made his way out of the dorm. Mitsuru’s gaze followed him up until he closed the door behind himself. She sighed, shaking her head.

“This isn’t a game, Akihiko…” she muttered, more to herself than anything.

* * *

**Wednesday, April 8 th**

**Early Morning**

* * *

Makoto made his way to the school gates, head low and headphones on. The track he was listening to had ended and he needed to manually replay the album. In the lull between doing that, he overheard a conversation between two female students walking beside him.

“Did you hear the rumor…?” the gossiping student asked.

“Oh, um…” the listening student answered. “Something about… a bathroom?”

“N-no!” the gossiping student vigorously shook her head. “Not that one! I mean the story of the first-year student! Not only did she stop coming to school, she does nothing but sit and stare at the walls all day. If her mother tries to talk to her, she only mutters to herself ‘It’s coming… it’s coming…!’”

“Huh,” the listening student replied. “How about that.”

“You don’t believe me…?” the gossiping student sounded almost hurt, as if she had worked hard to get this information and she was insulted she wasn’t being praised for this treat she decided to give her friend. Makoto hit play on his Walkman. To be honest, he almost envied the girl. She at least didn’t have to leave her room. Some days Makoto felt like just laying in bed all day, but people kept asking him to leave his room and go to school, so it’s not like he had a choice in the matter.

* * *

**Evening**

* * *

By the time Makoto returned to the dorms, Yukari was sitting in the lobby speaking to an older man in a brown suit. The sound of the door closing behind him drew both of their attention.

“Oh, he’s back,” Yukari noted.

“So, this is our new guest…” the man in the brown suit said. He stood and walked over to Makoto, smiling and offering a hand to shake. “Good evening. My name is Shuji Ikutsuki. I’m the Chairman of the Board for your school.”

Makoto stared at him. Why did so many people offer their hands to shake? What purpose did it serve? Like Junpei, the man in the brown suit moved the hand to rub behind his head.

“Ikutsuki…” He laughed. “Hard to say, isn’t it? That’s why I don’t like introducing myself. Even I get tongue-tied sometimes…”

Unlike Yukari who put on and took off her friendly smile like a mask, this man seemed to hold it even when he didn’t get a reaction from Makoto. “I apologize about the confusion regarding your accommodations. However, it may take a while longer before you receive the proper room assignment. Is there anything you’d like to ask?”

Makoto just stared at him. After a minute, he shook his head. The sooner he got this over with, the sooner he could go to his room.

“Then, I hope you have a successful school year,” Shuji Ikutsuki said with a smile, seeming to be just as glad this conversation was brief as Makoto was. “Now, if you’ll excuse me…”

He stepped toward the stairs, brushing off his suit. “You must be tired from all this excitement. You should go to bed early. As they say, ‘The early bird catches the bookworm!’”

He stood for a moment in silence as both Makoto and Yukari stared blankly at him. Shuji Ikutsuki chuckled. “…Please forgive the pun.”

With that, he left the lobby and went upstairs. Yukari pressed her palm into her forehead and sighed. “You’ll get used to his lame jokes,” she promised Makoto.

“Can I go to my room now?” Makoto asked dully. Yukari just nodded in response. Makoto made his way upstairs as well, Yukari’s gaze following him silently.

“…he’s too active to be suffering from Apathy Syndrome…” she said to herself under her breath. “So what’s _wrong_ with him?”

* * *

**Late Night**

* * *

Mitsuru and Yukari sat in front of a large computer terminal when Shuji Ikutsuki walked into the room, walking to the computer from behind them and observing the readings the two of them were already studying.

“Working hard?” he asked. His gaze turned to a smaller monitor, playing off security footage of Makoto sleeping in his room. “So, how’s he doing?”

Mitsuru and Yukari both stood. “He went to bed a little while ago,” Mitsuru answered. “He’s asleep now, as you can see. Mr. Chairman, do you think he’s…?”

“Well,” Shuji Ikutsuki said as he sat on top of the meeting table, “let’s wait and see for now… the Dark Hour is approaching.”

Yukari and Mitsuru both turned to watch a clock set on top of a nearby desk. The seconds ticked as it passed 11:59, the second, hour and minute hand all joining at 12… then stopping.

* * *

In a back ally of the city, several people were gathered around, either drinking or smoking as a nearby radio played on the sidewalk. A man sitting by hung his head, sighing.

“This sucks…” he muttered, standing up ready to walk away.

“KJ Radio presents, the Bay Tuners!” the radio announcer said. “Tune in next week for more of the hits!”

The man tucked his hands in his pockets, keeping his head low as he passed by a very drunk woman leaning against an equally drunk man.

“This program is brought to you by Kirijo Electronics,” a more robotic voice said over the radio. “Kirijo Electronics: Always there when you need them. At the tone, the time will be midnight.”

But the man found the tone never came. He looked up in confusion only to see the atmosphere of the whole place changed. Where there were once people, there were dozens of coffins standing in place. Where there was noise, there was now terrifying silence. The moon grew what must’ve been two or three sizes, blood pooled from the buildings, and the atmosphere of the location just became more… sinister.

“…huh?” the man asked, looking around and taking in everything he saw. Noises came from every corner, replacing the terrifying silence with even more terrifying muttering. “What the…?”

The man clutched his hand to his chest, feeling something… WRONG. As if something was trying to get out, something wanted release. “What’s… happening to me…?”

He felt something wet escape his mouth. Wiping it away thinking it drool, he looked down to see it was some kind of black… goo. It had the exact same consistency as blood, but it was pitch black and was fading away even as he held it. His vision went blurry as the same substance leaked out of his eyes, his nose, his ears, his fingernails… his whole body shook, his head was pounding. He held his hands to the sides of his head, turning his face to the sky and screaming, a terrified, bestial scream.

And in a moment, the man’s body was replaced with a pile of the black goo, collapsing on the ground. The man was no more.

* * *

The atmosphere of the dormitory building changed as all electronic devices shut off… except for the large terminal the three were studying. All three looked to the security footage. Makoto still rested in his bed.

“Hmm…” Shuji Ikutsuki muttered, rubbing his chin. “He’s retained his human form. He’s asleep, but he’s definitely experiencing the Dark Hour. The only question that remains is whether or not he has the potential. Although, he must… if he didn’t, they would’ve preyed on him by now.”

“Scary…” Yukari muttered.

“In any case,” the Chairman said as he stood to his feet, “we should continue to monitor him for a few more days.”

Mitsuru nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“I feel kinda bad, though, spying on him like this…” Yukari admitted.

* * *

Makoto’s eyes opened. He lifted his head, realizing he was no longer laying in bed, but sitting in a chair. He looked up to see he was sitting inside of a large elevator, constantly rising with a blue velvet carpet beneath him. Directly in front of him was a round velvet table, and on the opposite end of that table sitting on an ornate couch was a bald, impish looking man with an unnaturally long nose. Standing next to him was a young woman, about Makoto’s own age, wearing a dress and hat the same colors of the velvet that covered the room. The man with a large nose grinned at Makoto – an undeniably creepy grin to anyone who cared, but a genuine grin nevertheless.

“Welcome to the Velvet Room, my good man,” he said in a nasally voice. “My name is Igor… I am delighted to make your acquaintance.” He motioned to the woman standing beside him. “This is Elizabeth. She’s a resident here, like myself.”

“Pleased to meet you,” Elizabeth said, her golden eyes locking with Makoto’s own.

“This place,” explained Igor, motioning to the velvet elevator, “exists between dream and reality, mind and matter… It’s been years since we’ve had a guest.”

He motioned his hand, and the contract Makoto had signed at the dorm appeared before him on the table.

“Only those who have signed the contract can enter this place…” he explained. “Henceforth, you shall be welcome here in the Velvet Room. You are destined to hone your unique ability, and you will require my help to do so. I only ask one thing in return.”

He raised a gloved hand, holding up a single index finger to emphasize his point. “…that you abide by the contract, and assume responsibility for the choices you make.”

Makoto blinked, looking around himself once again. Then down at the chair he was sitting in. He definitely remembered going to bed, not sitting in a chair. “Is this a dream?” he asked, even though he knew it wasn’t smart to ask questions.

“Precisely,” Igor grinned, seeming to have no qualms with Makoto’s question. “You are fast asleep in the real world as we speak. This visit of yours is merely a dream. However, you will come here of your own accord, sooner or later.”

Igor reached into his vest pocket and withdrew an object. “Hold on to this…” He held out his hand, and a door key with a velvet covering floated from his gloved hand and passed into the open palm of Makoto’s. “’Til we meet again…”

* * *

**Thursday, April 9 th**

**Full Moon**

**Early Morning**

* * *

Makoto was snapped out of his music by someone touching his shoulder. He turned to see it was Junpei who was trying to catch his attention. Makoto removed his headphones.

“What’s up?!” Junpei said, slightly too loud for Makoto’s liking. “Man, today is the perfect day! The sky is blue… we’re young… what more could we ask for?!”

Makoto said nothing, just blinking at him. He was starting to wonder if this man was simply unwell, nobody should be this chipper so early in the morning.

“Forget the ol’ Junpei…!” He pounded his fist against his own chest. “This is the REAL me! You should cheer up, too. After all, you’ve got ME for a friend.”

Makoto blinked in surprise. They were friends, now? That was a surprise to him. Well, best to go along with it, he supposed. It would be more of a hassle to dissuade him than anything.

* * *

**Dark Hour**

* * *

Mitsuru and Yukari once again sat in front of the terminal, watching Makoto sleeping peacefully even during this shift in reality. Shuji Ikutsuki walked in from behind them, clearing his throat to let them know he had entered.

“How is he?” he asked.

“The same as last night,” Mitsuru answered.

The Chairman sat on the meeting table once again. “Hmm… Very interesting. Even those who have the potential tend to be unstable at first… Memory loss… disorientation… But, this subject is rather unique. He hasn’t exhibited any of the common symptoms.”

Yukari shook her head. “I don’t know about that… but… we’re still treating him like a guinea pig.”

“I understand your concern,” the Chairman said gently, “but it’s imperative that we recruit new members. I heard he’s your classmate… Wouldn’t you be more comfortable working with someone from the same grade?”

“Yeah, I guess,” Yukari admitted. “But, still…”

A sound came from the terminal, causing the three to simultaneously turn their heads to the source. Mitsuru put on a headset and pushed a button.

“Command room,” she answered. “Is that you, Akihiko?”

“You’re not gonna believe this…!” Akihiko’s voice came from the terminal, sounding out of breath. “This thing is huge! Unfortunately, I don’t have time to talk… it’s chasing me… I wanted to let you guys know. I’m almost there.”

“Does that mean…” Yukari stood up, pushing the chair she was sitting in away. “He’s bringing that thing here?!”

Mitsuru threw the headset off her head, standing up herself. “Mr. Chairman! Let’s suspend our observation or now. We’ll prepare for battle!”

“…R-Right!” the Chairman agreed, paralyzed for a second from the sudden urgency. “Be careful!”

The three rushed downstairs, making it in time to see Akihiko slam the door behind himself, locking it up. As soon as he did, he slid down with his back against the door, breathing heavily and holding his arm.

“Akihiko!” Mitsuru cried out. Yukari knelt beside the young man, getting a closer look at his injuries.

“Senpai?!” she cried, seeing blood pool from under his sleeves.

“I’m alright,” Akihiko managed, sounding like he was in pain. Even still, he managed a smirk. “Get ready to be surprised… it’ll be here any second.”

“This is no time to joke around!” Mitsuru snapped, voice halfway between angry and worried.

“It’s one of them, Akihiko?” the Chairman asked nervously.

“Yes,” Akihiko answered, “but not an ordinary one…”

The whole dormitory suddenly shook, disturbing their balance.

“What the…?!” Yukari regained her balance. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

“Mr. Chairman,” Mitsuru said as she grabbed her sidearm, “please head for the command room! Takeba, go upstairs and wake him up! Then, escape out the back.”

“But, what about you two?” Yukari asked, looking between Mitsuru and the injured Akihiko.

“We’ll stop it here,” Mitsuru answered, confident determination in her voice. “You led it to us, Akihiko, so I’m afraid you’ll have to fight.”

“Like I had a choice!” Akihiko snapped, but there was an almost… daring tone to his voice. As if he was looking forward to this challenge. He pushed himself to standing position, turning his gaze to Yukari. “What are you waiting for, Yukari? Go!”

Yukari gulped and nodded. “I-I’m going!”

It was around that time Makoto was dressing himself, having been awoken by a loud noise and shaking. He figured it must’ve been an earthquake, so they would probably have to be all led to one location. He thought it might be awkward for people to see him in his underwear, so best to put on clothes first.

“Wake up!” Yukari’s voice sounded alongside banging on his dorm room door. “Sorry, I’m coming in!”

The door swung open, Yukari springing inside. “I don’t have time to explain. We have to get out of here, now!”

Makoto blinked. “…okay.”

The building shook again, nearly knocking the two of them off their feet.

“Hurry!” Yukari grabbed Makoto by the wrist. “Downstairs! We’ll leave through the back door!”

Yukari broke into a run, practically dragging Makoto behind herself as they made their way down the stairs and towards the back door.

“Alright,” Yukari said in relief as she reached for the doorknob. “We should be safe now…”

A beeping noise came from Yukari’s head. She froze, touching an ear.

“Takeba, do you read me?!” Mitsuru’s voice said in her ear.

“Y-yes!” Yukari said, sounding like she was talking to herself from Makoto's perspective as he couldn’t hear Mitsuru on the other end. “I hear you!”

“Be careful!” said Mitsuru. “There’s more than on enemy! The one we’re fighting isn’t the one Akihiko saw!”

“What?!” Yukari did a double-take. At that moment, something slammed against the door, causing Yukari to back up in fear.

“L-let’s pull back!” she said, grabbing Makoto’s wrist once again and dragging him up the stairs. They climbed, further and further up the building, Yukari’s panic evident on her face even as Makoto calmly let himself be led along. Once they were up several flights, they heard the sound of a crash and something breaking down the stairwell. Yukari froze, turning her head downstairs.

“What was that?!” she asked. The building started to shake, and the sound of… SOMETHING climbing up the stairs followed them.

“It’s getting closer!” Yukari said, breathing getting quicker, nearing hyperventilation. “K-keep moving! Hurry!”

Makoto remained silent as she dragged him up the stairs, her fears clear as anything as she climbed and climbed. He, however, remained calm. So what if anything bad happened to him? It just meant he could go to sleep without having to wake up again, ever. And this time, he wouldn’t even need to put forth the effort to end it himself either. The stairwell eventually ended, stopping on a top floor with nothing but a door to the roof. Yukari burst through, nearly slinging Makoto onto the roof before slamming the door shut behind her, locking it tight. She gave a long sigh of relief. “I… think we’re okay for now…”

The building shook once again. Pause. Shake. Pause. The shaking had a rhythm, the rhythm of… of something climbing.

“Oh no…” Yukari gulped, slowly turning around. At the edge of the roof, a massive black hand grabbed hold and pulled up… something. Makoto had never seen anything like it. It was like a tangled mess of black arms, one arm holding up a blue mask with a neutral expression on it and the Roman numeral 1 written on its forehead. It climbed onto the roof, a multitude of arms reaching inside itself and pulling out knives. It began to approach the two.

“G… get back!” Yukari pushed herself forward, standing in front of Makoto in a defensive stance. She reached to her side and pulled the gun out, holding it against her forehead as she stared down the monster approaching them. Her breathing grew quicker, her whole body was shaking. Sweat was dripping down her brow as her finger hovered over the trigger. Something seemed to be holding her back, as if she was having a mental battle over her fear of being attacked by this… thing, and her fear of shooting herself. Just as she gasped, ready to pull the trigger after all her mental anguish…

Pow.

The creature didn’t even bother using a knife on her, it just provided a backhanded smack, causing the girl to fly off towards the edge of the roof. She tumbled and rolled on impact with the ground, losing consciousness once her rolling came to a stop. The creature turned its mask to Makoto. Makoto stared back, expression dull and heart beating normally. He wasn’t nervous. He wasn’t afraid. He couldn’t even remember how to be either of those things anymore. He would just like for the creature to get it over with and… wait. What was it doing?

Makoto’s eyes widened as the creature turned away from him and crawled to the downed Yukari. No. No, this wasn’t right. She had no reason to die. Let it be him. Let him die. He deserved it more than she did.

Mitsuru and Akihiko were watching all of this go on from the observation room. They turned away from the screen and nodded to each other, moving to leave the room.

“Wait!” the Chairman stopped them with a single word, pointing to the screen that showed Makoto look from the crawling shadow to… the gun. The weapon Yukari had pointed at her own head now lay at Makoto’s feet. The blue-haired boy bent down and picked it up.

_Go on…_ the encouraging voice of the pajama wearing boy spoke to him from inside his own head with a tone that implied he was trying to comfort him. Makoto looked from the gun back to the creature. It now stood over Yukari, lifting an arm wielding a knife to finish her off.

Makoto remembered what she did. He pressed the tip of the weapon to his temple, finger hovering over the trigger. Something about this action drew the creature’s attention, turning its blue mask around to “stare” at Makoto. The boy felt his heartbeat quicken, breathing becoming harder to do. It was as if something about the gun was drawing this reaction out of him, and that same something was what caught the monster’s attention. Nervousness… Makoto couldn’t remember the last time he was nervous. This… excited him.

A word came into his mind as he stared the monster down.

“P…” Makoto paused, licking his lips, realizing just how dry his mouth had become. “Per… So… Na.”

Makoto Yuki pulled the trigger.

Pain.

A sharp, burning pain traveled through Makoto’s skull. Although it happened it an instant, to the boy it felt as if time had slowed down to allow him to fully feel and comprehend the sensation of something traveling through his skull, breaching through one temple, crawling through his brain, before escaping the other temple. In that moment, it felt as if his entire skull had shattered like glass and his heart erupted into flames. The pain was more than just physical, however – in that instant, Makoto felt things he had been numb to for years flood his body in the exact same instant. Fear. Hatred. Sorrow. Excitement.

Makoto grinned, his smile reaching from ear to ear as the flood of emotions, the flood of excruciating pain wracked his body. For the first time in as long as Makoto could remember…

He felt ALIVE.

“I am thou…” a voice spoke, simultaneously coming from inside of Makoto’s head and from the world around him. “Thou art I… from the sea of thine soul, I awaken…”

In that instant, Makoto felt as if his whole body had expanded. He became intimately aware of a being floating above himself – almost human, but not quite. As if someone had breathed life into a mannequin and gave it a harp. This being, his awareness to it… it wasn’t just that he was aware, no. It was more like… as if Makoto had grown an extra arm. He felt the being. He knew the being was part of him. He knew the being WAS him.

And he knew the being was under his control.

“I am Orpheus,” the creature, the extension of Makoto, the Persona, said. “Master of Strings.”

Makoto’s grin never left his face. He pulled the trigger on the weapon again, sending another wave of pain through his body. Another bolt of excitement. Orpheus acted on this, rushing forward, hovering above the ground as he detached the harp from his back. The creature raised its arms, but Orpheus delivered a slam to its side with his harp before the creature could make a move. It rolled against the ground like a ragdoll, but quickly jumped back to its arms, the mask “staring” down Orpheus.

Yukari at this point had drifted back into consciousness, her glazed eyes trying to focus on the battle that was going on between the two.

“Per… sona…” she muttered. “He has it… he has the potential…”

Makoto pulled the trigger again. His body was wracked again with pain, and it felt as if something was being drained from him. As if every pull of the trigger sucked out a bit of his energy and pushed it into Orpheus. Makoto didn’t care – he’d give away every last ounce of his energy until he dropped dead if it meant he could keep feeling like this. A chuckle escaped his lips as Orpheus rushed forward again, lifting the harp above his head. This time, the creature had time to react – it shuffled to the side, barely avoiding the harp as it slammed into the roof of the building. The concrete shattered, a crack appearing where the harp had made impact. Orpheus turned his head to see the creature swing a blade right at him. He was thrown back, a gash appearing right on his torso. Makoto winced as he felt even more energy being drained from him, at the same rate as the gash healed itself on Orpheus. He still couldn’t care.

The chuckling became light laughter. Makoto pressed the gun harder into his temple, hard enough to leave a mark, and kept pulling the trigger, again and again. With every pull of the trigger, Orpheus made another move, swinging his harp, grabbing at the creature, missing the creature, beating it across the roof. Makoto’s heart beat even faster, faster, so fast it was threatening to explode in his own chest. He felt a genuine fear overtake his body, fear that he was actually going to die.

And Makoto loved every second of it. His laughter grew louder. The creature showed no signs of slowing down, hurrying towards Orpheus with an unnatural speed. Orpheus moved to dodge, but he was too slow – the creature grabbed his head in one of his many hands and slammed him against the roof so hard that it cracked on impact. Makoto felt as if something had punched him in the gut as his whole body was wracked with an overwhelming sense of exhaustion, as if he had gone a whole day without eating. He started to cough, breathing becoming hard for him.

And then, something… odd happened.

Makoto felt a piercing pain in his head, pain worse than any he had felt firing that special gun into his skull. He gripped his head with both hands, groaning as the pain only built and built. His heart felt as if it was a cocoon, some kind of creature stirring inside, pushing at the surface, trying to break it open and break free.

The pain reached a boiling point. Makoto turned his head up to the night sky and screamed. Orpheus floated into the air and imitated Makoto’s pose as the creature inside his heart broke free. Orpheus’ head turned, his neck making a sickening crack as a pair of black arms shot up from inside of his torso. The arms struggled and, in a moment, Orpheus’ body shattered. The new Persona inside broke free, a massive, hulking beast with an armored helmet shaped like the mouth of a monster, a flowing black cloak and a “cape” of coffins flowing behind him.

Mitsuru gasped, backing away from the screen at the horrific sight she was borne to witness. Akihiko’s knuckles grew white as he gripped the chair, watching with the same sort of awestruck horror one would watch a train crash.

“What on earth is that?!” he asked. The Chairman didn’t seem to have an answer, watching in a similar trance of horror, his face going deathly white. What disturbed them all even more, however, wasn’t the new Persona’s grizzly method of appearing, but rather Makoto’s reaction. He never stopped screaming, even as the new Persona emerged and screamed itself. But then…

“AAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Mad laughter escaped the teenager’s mouth, his grin stretched across his whole face, looking like a madman ready to knife someone in the face. This might as well have been the case as the new Persona rushed the creature. The creature raised a knife, but the new Persona grabbed this arm by the wrist and ripped it out of the creature’s body. Taking the knife in his own hand, the Persona grabbed the creature by the mask and lifted it in the air. The arms of the creature struggled, flailing around, but quickly came to a stop when the Persona slashed the mask clean in half with the knife it took from the creature. The mask and the rest of the creature began to melt away into darkness, the only thing left behind was the arm the Persona was still holding. It looked down at the arm and, with the squeezing of a hand, shattered the arm, making it melt away into shadow like the rest of the creature just did. The Persona was breathing heavily, as if still hungry for more creatures to kill. Turning its head upwards, it gave an inhuman yell that could be heard all across the city.

Then, with no warning, the Persona turned back into Orpheus.

And then Orpheus vanished, leaving no trace that he was ever there. Makoto’s laughter grew weaker and weaker, his grin holding on his face. He dropped to his knees, then his eyes rolled in his head, and he collapsed on the ground. The world faded as he slipped away, drifting into the inky blackness of unconsciousness.


End file.
